Jackson Browne is far from running on empty. After more than 40 years in the business, the singer-songwriter is still brimming with talent on guitar, piano and vocals.

He showcased his musical prowess and personal insights during a sold-out performance at the State Theatre in Easton Saturday night. The audience in the full theater gave the 65-year-old rocker a standing ovation before he even played a note.

Browne started out strumming the guitar as he sang "I'll Do Anything," a love song filled with promises, then sat down at the piano for the more somber "For a Dancer." He packed the two-and-a-half hour acoustic show with slower compositions that all started to sound the same after awhile.

His easygoing demeanor gave the show an intimate, almost effortless feel. While some musicians have set lists they insist on adhering to so that they know what to expect, Browne assured the audience he isn't one of them.

"I need to know that I don't know what's going to happen next," he said.

Browne saved his most recognizable hits for later.

The audience was forgiving when he had a hard time remembering the intro to "The Fairest of the Seasons," a song he co-wrote with Greg Copeland not long after high school. He said he hasn't sung it very much.

Browne closed the first part of the show with the folksy, anti-political number "I Am a Patriot," written by Steven Van Zandt.

A few songs into the second half, the crowd shouted requests and questions at him as he paced in front of his rack of about 20 guitars trying to decide what to play next.

"Have you noticed? I've been playing Martins all night," he said, referring to the guitars made by C.F. Martin & Co. in Upper Nazareth Township. He said he used the brand throughout most of his recent album.

The first highly recognizable hit came seven songs into the second half, when Browne started pounding out "Doctor My Eyes" on the piano. That livened up the mood, and the crowd started clapping. Manny Alvarez really made it work when he joined him on electric guitar. Alvarez helped Browne tune his acoustic guitar when he struggled earlier in the show.

Browne had no set list and was supremely patient as the audience repeatedly peppered him with song requests. He played whatever he wanted most of the time but humored a fan who requested "Running on Empty" during the second half of the show.

"If anybody calls for 'Running on Empty' then we gotta do it right then," he said.

It was rough. Some songs just aren't the same acoustically, and that's one of them. The pizzazz of the electric guitar really makes it. "Take It Easy," however, is a song that's meant to be played acoustically, and it made the night. People filled the front of the stage and aisles dancing and clapping to the beat.

It didn't take long after the "Our Lady of the Well" finale for Browne to return to the stage for an encore. Finally, he played "Somebody's Baby," although he couldn't sing the high notes and it was painful to hear him try. He ended for good with "Before the Deluge," which again had the audience clapping along.